How four friends are leading the fight against plastic with a modern twist on the milk round

Simon Mellin, Tom Shaw, Becky Hilton and Paul White. Photo: 5 Little Boys Photography.

The Modern Milkman was set up by Paul White and Thomas Shaw, owners of Wise Owl Creative, the Colne-based award winning marketing agency and local couple Simon Mellin and Becky Hilton.

Simon previously founded the successful Roaming Roosters brand, which he sold two years ago after winning a host of awards including Farming Partnership of the Year.

The idea was borne from David Attenborough’s Blue Planet programme, which focussed on the plight of plastic on our oceans.

The team then had the opportunity to set up a milk round covering Colne, Foulridge, Laneshaw Bridge and Trawden and have acquired hundreds of new customers since then.

They’ve also grown a range of products to include milk, flavoured milk, fresh orange, eggs and brownies by well-known local company Blondie Brownie.

The venture has been so successful that The Modern Milkman will soon expand to cover Burnley, Padiham, Nelson and Barrowford.

Co-founder Tom (23) said “We saw that there was a real opportunity to provide a doorstep service to people who wanted an alternative to single use plastic, but that it would need to be delivered in a really modern way to fit the needs of our fast paced lives today.

“We knew that we wanted to offer the traditional service, but with ease of ordering and payment. Next month we’ll be launching our new App, which people will be able to order through making it even simpler. We think we’re the first in the country to do this."

Simon (32) added: “The take-up has been incredible. There’s been such an appetite for it and I think it’s down to a combination of the ease of use, the desire to move from plastic and there’s still that really strong driver to support local farmers.

"All of our milk comes from Briercliffe and there is absolutely no plastic in any of our packaging.

“We’re going to be more than just a milkman, offering a range of products that are easy to order.

"Our fleet of new vehicles will arrive soon, and we’re ready to get cracking in other areas in East Lancashire and then beyond there. We hope to roll the App out nationally”.

For more information on The Modern Milkman, visit www.themodernmilkman.co.uk or email [email protected]